Straightedge



July 23, 1925. 1,547,353

E. L. BATES STRAIGHTEDGE Filed April 30, 1925 FL .2 Ft .1

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A TTORNEY Patented July 28,1925.

EDWARD L. BATES, or ivronnsro, CALIFORNIA.

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Application filed April 30, 1923. Serial N0.. 6 3 5,544.

To. all whom it may concern:

Be it known that L-EDWARD L. BATEs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Modesto, county of Stanislaus, State of California, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Straightedges; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this application.

It'is essential for good workmanship and to obtain good results in paper hanging, that the straight edges used to trim the paper shall be" as near perfectly true from end to end as possible, for vreasons which are well known to those in the profession The straight edges used are quite a num ber of feet in length, and it is next to impossible to make them. as a rigid unit so that they will permanently retain their initial straightness without makingthein of such proportions and weight as would make them cumbersome and impractical to. handle; e

The principal object of my invention therefore is to produce a straight edge, com prising a body made of wood or a'similar relatively light material, and ametal trimmingedge or strip, in which means is provided for enabling the trimming strip to be set so as to be perfectly true regardless of any warping oft-he body member.

Another object is to arrange'the means for this purpose so that any truing-up of the trimming strip can be done in a very short time, and without the need of any tools other than a small wrench.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purposes for which itis designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings, similar characters of reference indicate correspondin parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a straight edge constructed according to one method of carrying out theinvention, looking at the bottom face thereof.

Fig. 2 is a cross section taken through one of the strip adjusting means.

Fig. 3is a similar section taken'intermediate such means.

Fig. at is a perspective view of a portion of a straight edge, looking on thetop face thereof, showing a modified manner of mounting the adjusting means; I Fig. 5' is a cross section through such ad: ustmg means, 1

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, and

PATENT- oFFiiCE particularly at present to Figs. 1 to 3, the 7 numeral 1 denotes the body member of the straight-edge,-made of wood and of stand ard dimensions for the purpose. This member is set in a metal channel 2, which extends over the top face'of the body 1. One side a or the channel 2 forms the cutting edge of the device, while adjacent but outwardly of the-other side 2* is the metal trimming strip 3 having the'usual flange 4 thereon overhanging the upper face of the channel somewhat, the portion 3 being pref erably thickerthan the portion 4' and also thicker" than the channel. I

The sides of the latter are securely fastened to the body by screwsj5 or the like at suitably-spaced intervals, in such a manner that said channel cannot warp away from the body,'especi ally on-that side adjacent the strip 3, so that said side 2' will be absolutely rigid.

' At suitable ntervals throughout the length of the strip 3, say every three inches, pins or screws 6 are secured therein and project through the channel member 2" into sockets 7 cut in the body 1 adjacent said screws and from the under side of the body. Nuts 8 and 9 are threaded onto the screws 6 on both sides of the channel member, the screws 8 being on the outside thereof, or between the same and the strip 3, while the nuts 9 are on the inside of the channel member, and are naturally in the sockets 7, which, are of sufficient size to enable a small wrench tobe inserted to, engage the nuts and tobe manipulated to turn said inner nuts.

To straighten the strip 3, it is only neces- .sary to suitably adjust certain of the nuts 8 and 9.

If any portion of the strip has a longitudinal bow or warp toward the member 1, and

screws. Since the member 2 is rigid and immovable, the result of such advancement of the nuts 8 is to cause the screws 6 to be moved outwardly, and as the .screws are fixed in the strip, the latter will be likewise moved out.

The various nuts 8 having been turned the necessary amount to straighten the strip, the nuts 9 are again moved to lock against the rigid channel strip 2 to prevent undesired turning movement of the nuts 8.

If the strip 3 is convexed, the manipulation of the nuts, to cause the strip to be drawn in, is resorted to, and thus by suitable movement of whatever ones of the screws or pins is necessary, the trueness of the strip may be quickly and easily restored,

' regardless of any warp in the body member.

It will be noted that all the nuts, screws and sockets are concealed from view from the upper face of the straight edge, thus making a very neat implement. V

In the type of straight edge shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the channel covering of the body member 1 is replaced by a strip 10 set in flush withthe upper face of the body 1 and extending the full length thereof.

Integral, flanges 11 are formed with the strip 10 at suitable intervals, and extend at right angles thereto toward the bottom edge of thebody 1.

The screws or pins 6 which are fixed onto the trimming strip. 3 extend slidably through the adjacent portion of the body 1 to and through the flanges 11, said screws having nuts 8" thereon on both sides of the said flanges, located in sockets 7* cut in the body on both sides of said flanges, of a lesser length than the same, so that the ends of the flanges are firmly seated in the wood of the body beyond the sockets, as shown in Fig. 4, helping to stiffen them and prevent their being warped when pressure is exerted on the nuts to adjust the strip 3.

The straightening or truii'ig up of the said strip is done in the same manner as in the first described type, it being noted that the flanges 11 take the place of the strip 2 the only actual difference being that the former are located intermediate the edges of the body member instead of actually at one edge thereof.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that l have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A straight-edge comprising a wooden body member, a longitudinal metal strip fixed on the body and positioned substantially parallel to a longitudinal edge thereof, a straight-edge strip located adjacent but spaced from one longitudinal edge of the body, pins fixed on said straight edge strip and projecting through the metal strip, and means mounted with said pins and fixed metal strip for moving the pins longitudinally of themselves.

2. A straight-edge comprising a body member, an independent edge member located adjacent but spaced from one edge of the body, threaded pin-s fixed on said edge member and projecting toward the body, means on the body for supporting the pins, and nuts on the pins on both sides of said supporting means, the edges of the nuts be ing inwardly of the faces of the body member whereby the latter may be laid fiat on a,

plane surface.

3. A straight-edge comprising a body portion, a. straight-edge strip located adjacent but spaced from one edge of the body member, threaded pins fixed to the longitudinal straight edge strip at intervals and projecting from the face thereof adjacent the body, rigid strip means mounted on the body through which the pins project, and

nuts on said pins on both sides of said strip means.

4. A straight-edge comprising a body portion, a straight edge strip located adjacent but spaced from one edge of the body member, threaded pins fixed to the longitudinal straight edge strip at intervals and projecting from the face thereof adjacent the body, rigid strip means mounted on the body through which the pins project, and nuts on said pins on both sides of said strip means, the body being cut away about the nuts to enable the same to be manipulated. 5. A straight-edge comprising a body portion, an independent edge member located adjacent but spaced from one edge of the body member, a metal channel member in which the body is seated, said channel member having a rigid edge portion located adjacent the independent edge member, threaded pins fixed to the edge member at intervals and projecting therefrom through the adjacent channel-edge strip, and nuts on the pins on both sides of said strip. and bearing thereagainst.

6. A straight-edge comprising a body portion, a straight edge strip located adjacent but spaced from one longitudinal edge of the body member, pins fixed to the straight edge strip at intervals and projecting therefrom toward the body, rigid strip means mounted on the latter and through which the pins project, and means between said pins and strip means for moving the pins relative to the strip means and in a plane at right angles to the face of the latter.

7. A straight-edge comprising a body portion, a straight edge strip located adjacent but spaced from one edge of the body member, threaded pins fixed to the longitudinal straight edge strip at intervals and projecting from the face thereof adjacent the body, rigid strip means mounted on the 10 body through which the pins project, and nuts on said pins on both sides of said strip meansjthe pins stopping short of the edge of the body opposite the straight-edge strip. In testimony whereof I atfix my signature.

EDWARD L BATES. 

